Berry Gordy provided the soundtrack to the lives of baby boomers.
The founder of Motown Record Corp. discovered Diana Ross and the Supremes, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Temptations, Tammi Terrell, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder — the impressive list goes on.
He is an icon.
No pressure there for Chester Gregory who plays Gordy in “Motown: The Musical,” which comes to Tucson next week courtesy of Broadway in Tucson.
The play is based on Gordy’s autobiography, “To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown.” And Gordy wrote the script, selected the songs, co-produced it, and has been intimately involved since it first opened on Broadway in 2013.
But Gregory, who has played the role since January of last year, isn’t intimidated by that.
“I was surprised at how down to earth and direct and approachable he was,” Gregory says about his first meeting with Gordy. “I would describe him as a man who is uncompromising, a caring visionary.”
At 38, Gregory is too young to be a baby boomer. But he feels an affinity for the music, especially for Michael Jackson, with whom he shares a hometown.
“I’m from Gary, Indiana, and Michael Jackson was one of my greatest heroes,” says Gregory, who spoke to us while in Los Angeles with the production. “Now I get to play the man who discovered him. It’s a full-circle moment for me.”
The story
It takes place in 1983. A big 25th anniversary celebration for Motown is in the works. Gordy has had a rocky time of it — many of the artists attending are ones he discovered but are no longer with his label, so he isn’t sure he wants to go. He uses the occasion to reflect on life, starting with when he was a young boy.
“I come in when he’s 29 and go through his life for 25 years,” says Gregory.
“People had seen him as a failure, but he broke barriers with the music. While people thought he was crazy, he held on to his vision.”
Gordy’s life is punctuated by music, lots of music — more than 50 songs, many of them just snippets, are in the musical. Among them: “My Girl,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Dancin’ in the Streets,” “Love Child,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”
“All the songs are great,” says Gregory. Picking a favorite changes with his mood and what the audience reacts to — “They resonate differently with each crowd,” he says of the tunes.
But he always enjoys singing the closing number, “Can I Close the Door,” written by Gordy specifically for the musical.
It’s sung when Gordy “is at a turning point,” says Gregory. “Is he going to close the door, or embrace the change that will happen.”
Join in
With a score that most audiences will likely know by heart, it’s hard not to sing along. That’s fine with Gregory. “I love it when people sing along; who can not enjoy it when that many people have a great time and remember the songs?”
